Ronaldo extends Real contract

Real Madrid have moved to tie Cristiano Ronaldo to the club until the end of the 2017/18 season by agreeing a three-year contract extension with the prolific Portugal forward.

The announcement of the deal on Sunday ended speculation about a possible return to Manchester United in 2015 when his previous deal expires. Ronaldo left the English Premier League club in 2009 to join Real for what was then a world-record fee of €94m ($125m).

 Big-spending Real president Florentino Perez and the 28-year-old Ronaldo signed the new contract at the club’s Bernabeu stadium and appeared before the media at a glitzy ceremony on the giant arena’s VIP tribune.

Neither Ronaldo, who said 2018 could mark the end of his career, nor Perez provided details about his salary, but Spanish media reported that his net annual wage would rise to €17m, making him one of the world’s best-paid players.

Wearing a dark blue jacket, light shirt and blue patterned tie and with a jewelled stud glittering in each ear, Ronaldo admitted there had been interest from other clubs, including Qatar-owned Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain.

He was also asked about United and appeared to rule out a return to the city where he spent six years after joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2003.